Plastic syringes, pre-filled with liquid or semi-solid materials suitable for diagnosis and/or treatment of medical conditions, find utility in the pharmaceutical arts. As can readily be appreciated, it is desirable that such syringes are sterile and contain minimal amounts of pyrogens and viable and non-viable particulates.
Methods for preparing pre-filled plastic syringes have previously been disclosed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,463 describes a method for the preparation of pre-filled plastic syringes comprising, among other steps, a step wherein the barrel of the syringe is washed with a multiplicity of jets of water to remove debris and pyrogens from the barrel, followed by assembly and filling of the syringe and a terminal autoclaving step wherein the filled syringe and its contents are sterilized.